The Prince's Bride
by YarningChick
Summary: Haru was forcibly taken to the Cat Kingdom and married to the prince she had saved before he returned home. What will happen, when HE finds out about the marriage? FYI; the prince's name isn't Lune.
1. The Bride

Extra

For the record, this will be one of my shorter stories. It was just a little thought I had about mixed-up roles, but not one that I can dig further into without becoming crude. I hope everyone will enjoy it anyway.

Chapter One: The Bride

The brown cat kept struggling violently as the pastel cats picked her up and carried her down the hallways and through the door that had been opened by a servant girl. A small spare key was in her paw, and a small pile of papers was in her other one.

Upon entering the personal chambers, the captive female panicked more as the pastel cats gently set her down on the huge bed.

"Now, really," the pink cat softly scolded as the other servant girl neatly set the papers next to her. "Do you have any idea how many girls would kill to be in your position?"

"Agh, mmph!" the brunette cat tried to say around her gag as the blue and purple cats whipped off the bathrobe that had been covering her, so she wouldn't be exposed to the world when they were out in the halls.

True, she was a cat, which generally isn't known to wear clothes. But even if she were still a human, she never would have considered wearing the rather sexy nightgown that she had been forced into. She had always preferred flannel pajamas, the kind with long pant legs and sleeves; a fact everyone in the Cat Kingdom was probably aware of, since that had been what she was wearing when she met the Cat King, who was now her father-in-law. The cats kept shaking their heads at her while they exited the room.

"Honestly; you'd think that they weren't married, the way she's acting!"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Haru's heart turned to lead as the door locked behind the servants. True, most of the rooms in the palace had red curtains over the entrances, only the royal chambers being outfitted with doors.

She wasn't going to allow this. She angrily started trying to roll from one side to the other, eventually succeeding in falling off the bed. The brown cat gave a muffled yelp, since she had been bound hand and foot so that she couldn't try to escape again. Without anything to soften her fall, her side hurt terribly.

When the schoolgirl had saved a cat from becoming road kill a few days earlier, she never would have thought that he was a prince, or that she would be forced to marry the feline. Sure, she was shocked when he stood up on his hind legs and thanked her very politely for rescuing him, but she never would have seen all of this coming!

Never being a true believer of magic, she couldn't quite understand how the special paper the Cat King had written her name and his son's on with their blood had unalterably married them, but she had been assured many times that the marriage was not only legally binding, but unbreakable until one of them died. Since she wasn't quite ready to commit suicide and it was a little silly to kill the cat she had just saved, she'd settle for trying to escape again.

Looking down by her feet, she noted with glee that she had managed to make the marriage papers fall to the ground as well. Like a beached whale, she attempted to sweep the papers with her legs underneath what was intended to be her marriage bed.

Her large pointed ears picked up a sound that they might not be able to have if she was a human. About three rooms away, at the entrance to the personal quarters, a key was turning in the lock.

It was her new husband.

Part of the reason for her renewed struggle was because she had heard that he had returned to the palace, and the handmaidens had been told to wait to put her into the bedroom until she wouldn't have enough time to escape again, and guards were posted everywhere to ensure that she wouldn't slip out unnoticed, like she had tried the last three times.

As the door to the personal chambers opened, she realized that she only had enough time to hide herself or the papers. To hide the papers and leave herself exposed would defeat the purpose of hiding them, but if she hid herself, and left the papers out, he would find her anyway. What could she do?!

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The crown prince to the Cat Kingdom sighed with relief as he hung his top hat and coat on the rack. The trip to the southern borders had taken a toll on his nerves, although he had been taught over the years never to let his feelings show to the outside world. But at least the feud had been taken care of. Two mice ranchers had somehow let their stock intermingle, and both were trying to have the best pick. The prince had settled the dispute by allowing one to equally divide the herds, but allow the other rancher to have the first pick.

The prince chuckled as he started up a fresh batch of tea. Setting the water to boil, he figured that he had a few minutes to take a nap. The trip had been long indeed. Stretching a bit, he tossed aside the curtain to his bedroom and neatly lay himself down on the bed. It was a bit big for just him, but he hadn't really seen a reason to trade it out for something more practical.

But… something was off. Disturbed, he looked up into the deep green canopy, trying to figure out what was wrong. He had learned never to pay attention when his father acted strange, since the Cat King always acted strange, but today, everyone seemed to be hiding something. He had seen a few cats struggling to contain their mirth when he was heading to his quarters; what was so funny?

And then it clicked. He chuckled softly while standing up from his bed. Everyone must have heard about his little adventure in the human world, and couldn't believe that he had gotten himself into such a scrape like almost getting run over, since he was usually very careful.

But after years of hearing about the wonderful fish crackers his mother had loved, before she was taken from her owners to become the Cat Queen, he could no longer restrain himself from going and getting a box for himself.

He chuckled again, remembering how the store clerk had reacted when the tawny cat had set the little box on the counter, and laid the little bag that had been tied around his neck next to the purchase. There had been a little more money than what the fish crackers had called for, but Humbert had been feeling generous.

Those crackers had nearly killed him. If he hadn't lost his grip on the road… well, nothing happened anyway. The fetching young woman had seen to that.

Prince Humbert pulled the chair to his desk out so he could sit down, and placed a sheet of parchment in front of him. He had promised to thank her properly for saving his life later, since he was in a hurry to solve the feud.

Halfway through writing his letter to her, he suddenly remembered that the schoolgirl had been a human. She probably couldn't read cat; his written thanks wouldn't mean anything to her.

Sighing, he placed the letter aside and stood up from his chair to start pacing the room. How could he have gotten the letter to her, anyway? The only thing he really knew about her was that she was an extraordinarily brave schoolgirl. She could have very easily gotten herself killed saving him, and there was no possible way she could have known he was a prince. He hadn't even stuck around long enough to find out what her name was.

'_Father's spy cameras.' _Although he had scolded his father for watching over him whenever he left the palace, it had done nothing to stop the monarch. The cameras were probably how everyone knew about the rescue. He could find out her information from there.

Smiling, he reached for the old-fashioned phone as he walked toward it. But then, his mismatched eyes, one green and one blue, became distracted.

His bed covers were messed around in a fashion that his body couldn't have done, since it was on the opposite side of his bed. Littered on the floor were a few papers.

Puzzled, he walked over and collected them, examining a royal blue one.

_Upon this day, the third of the month Fishal in the thirty-third year of the reign of King Phoebus von Gikkingen, his son, Humbert of the Cat Kingdom, and Haru Yoshioka, once of the Human Kingdom, are now and forever to be held together in the holy bonds of matrimony._

His heart seemed to stop cold as he sniffed the paper.

Magic and intermingled blood.

Humbert's breathing became shallow, knowing what spell had been used, in order to create this legally binding document. When had his father managed to collect his blood, in order to pull this off? He started growling angrily; guessing who his new bride was.

"Father's gone too far _this_ time."


	2. The Groom

Extra

Chapter Two: The Groom

The king grinned smugly; glad that he had solved Humbert's little problem of finding a suitable mate once and for all. Part of him wished he could see the expression on his heir's face when he saw the babe that was now his wife, but the king understood that the moment would be too private to allow him to sit in a corner with a bag of fish chips. Ah well; he'd settle for a lapful of grandkittens…

The Cat King sighed sadly as he lay on his couch, remembering when his young son happily sat on his knee, and hugged his neck. But the passing years had torn a rift between them, a rift that, the king hoped, would be healed by the peace offering of Haru. Heaven knows, if his son had offered a babe like that for a wife to _him_, there wouldn't be a rift anymore.

The phone began to ring. Puzzled, Advisor Natori walked over to answer it, cradling the device between his paws.

"King's private study; Natori speaking."

"_You gave me your word_."

Natori began to panic, recognizing the raging anger beneath the calm voice.

"You said you could handle Father for a week. You said that I had nothing to worry about. So what do I find, now that I'm back? A marriage license, binding me for life to a girl I barely spoke three sentences to, and who is a different species on top of it all. I'm beyond disappointed, Natori."

The robed cat began to shake terribly.

"Please, your highness! You know no one thinks for your father, and the girl's completely qualified to be your wife. She's fair of face, a brave and talented young lady, a gifted student-" _'if one didn't pay too much attention to her rather impressive tardy record.'_

"Exactly, Natori. If she runs around in public in a schoolgirl's uniform, chances are that she's too young for marriage. Just out of curiosity, did you bother to ask what _she_ thought of this?"

"Of course we did. We sent her gifts, and Natoru to get a yes or no from her."

"Hold it. You sent _your brother_ to ask her?! You know he only listens to what he wants to hear." Humbert started growling over the phone. Natori laughed nervously, knowing it didn't bode well for him to be on the prince's bad side. He covered the mouth of the phone to call to his king.

"Your son isn't pleased with his early birthday gift."

The Cat King gaped disbelievingly, and then jumped over his seat in order to grab the phone.

"How could you _not_ be pleased by her?!" he yelled into the phone. "If I were even ten years younger, I'd have married her myself!"

"Father, she's a _minor_! One, if I had a mind to pursue her, I would have waited the needed amount of time before even discussing marriage. Two, I don't know her, and she doesn't know me. Three-"

"Three, there had better be grandkittens for me to play with, in three months time! Son, I've been lenient in letting you be a bachelor for all these years. You've had your fun, and now it's time to settle down and produce an heir for the kingdom. Haru's a great girl, though maybe a little high-strung. You two will get along fine. Get busy."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Don't you dare hang up on me!" Humbert growled as the receiver gave a dead tone. Growling again, he tried to redial, but apparently his father had unhooked his connection. The crown prince slammed the phone back into its cradle in irritation.

"I'm the heir to a kingdom of morons and imbeciles!"

A strange soft sound came from his bed. He looked over at it, wondering what the sound had been. But besides the mussed sheets, nothing looked out of place. His eyes widened, realizing that the sound had been a smothered giggle, which does not usually issue from beds. His heart pounded, looking at the place where he had found the marriage and name-change papers. Taking a step closer, he noticed how the edges of his sheets were tucked under the bed in a way that the servants never used. He sighed; realizing what, or, more accurately, _who_ had been underneath him.

He walked up to the front part of the bed, and pulled the sheets away enough to peek underneath the bed. He immediately blushed, and let the sheet fall back into place as he ran towards his wardrobe and threw it open. He spoke in a loud tone, to be sure that the girl would hear him.

"I hope you'll believe me when I say this was _not _what I had in mind when I said I'd thank you properly later." Seeing the item he wanted, he carefully removed it and folded it over one arm before resuming his place next to the bed. "Please come out so I can untie you. I have a bathrobe ready." He opened the sheet enough so that she could see the garment. But the girl didn't move a single inch. The prince sighed.

"Haru, I assure you that I have no intention of solidifying the marriage contract. I just want to try fixing what my father did to you. If I had known that this was going on while I was gone, I would have come back sooner and stopped this madness."

That comment apparently sealed the deal for his bride, who slowly wiggled her way out of her hiding place. Humbert used the bathrobe to cover most of her so that she wouldn't be embarrassed about him seeing her. Maneuvering to her other side, he carefully untied her front paws, then her legs. The brown cat ripped off the gag with relief as he tore off the last of the leg bindings.

"Just out of curiosity, does everyone here usually ignore you if you happen to disagree with them?"

Humbert sighed and pointedly turned as he stood up, so she could wrap the bathrobe around her slender form.

"Yes, unfortunately. The only time people ever listen to me is when I challenge them to a duel, and show no mercy."

Haru growled.

"Great. Maybe if I had taken that self-defense class like Mom wanted me to, I could have gone back home."

Certain that she was covered now; he turned to look at her. Much had changed about this strange girl, since their last meeting. Now, he was the one towering over her, though perhaps only by half a head. Fur covered her entire body, or so he assumed, since he wasn't about to check.

Only a few things told of the girl's true birth. One was that her head fur was longer than the rest of the silky stuff; a trait sometimes shown in humans that remained too long in the Cat Kingdom. Another was her large chocolate eyes, which were the same shape they had been when she was a human. The last thing that told what she truly was was how tightly she was holding the bathrobe to her body. Nudity isn't much of an issue in a kingdom where one grows their own clothes, but being born a human, Haru naturally clung to whatever clothes she could, feeling naked otherwise.

Trying as hard as possible not to make the girl even more nervous of him, if such a thing is possible, the crown prince brought over the chair from his writing desk so that he could sit close to the girl, who had sat down on the bed. She appeared to be studying him with the same careful calculation he was giving her. He realized that he probably looked a little different as well, for exchanging the gold collar reserved for roaming the human world in favor of a light gray suit, complete with a deep red vest and navy bow tie.

"When were you brought here, Haru?"

"Three days ago. Your dad only told me yesterday, that I could have gone back to my human life, if…" she sighed, examining her arm. "…if I had gotten out of the kingdom the first day, before my world's sunrise."

Humbert shook his head angrily.

"I'm shocked beyond words, that Father sent _Natoru_ of all people, to get your consent."

She shuddered.

"At least I learned my lesson; never try to get into a theoretical discussion with that moron."

The prince chuckled.

"Taking your point and hitting him over the head with it sometimes works, but not always." He sighed. "I hate having to bring this up so soon, Haru, but it needs to be discussed. We're strangers, pure and simple, not even originally members of the same species. We're also unwillingly married to each other, without hope of getting out of it until one of us dies, an option that is certainly as unappealing to you as it is to me. Where should we go from here?"


	3. The Mother in Law

Extra

Chapter Three: The Mother-in-Law

"I'm kind of leaning toward stealing a spear from one of the guards and going after your dad and Natoru."

Humbert chuckled as he passed her a cup of his personal blend of tea. They were now in the parlor of his personal chambers, on separate high-backed chairs.

"As entertaining as that thought is, we can't do it. Father has many body guards and Natoru's from an old and powerful family, which is why he's an advisor in the first place. I am planning on dismissing him as soon as I take the throne, at least from important work. If we are going to even the score with them, it will have to be more subtle than that." He took a sip as his bride did the same. She lingered over the taste for a second, her eyes widening.

"_Wow_. This is the best tea I've ever tasted."

Humbert grinned at her.

"Then you're lucky. Sometimes the blend is so terrible, I have no choice but to pour it down the drain."

Haru took another sip, smiling at last. Suddenly, she blushed.

"Um, Humbert? The main reason your dad was willing to go this far was so that… he could be a grandpa."

He nodded.

"He made that perfectly clear over the phone." Catching the subtle hint, he grinned. "Perhaps the best punishment would be to just not give him any grandchildren for a while. As the prince, I _will _eventually need an heir, but I think we need a little time to at least become friends first, and I'm well aware that you're not quite of age yet anyway."

Haru blushed, and looked down.

"My eighteenth birthday's three months away. Thank you; I was scared that your mind worked like your dad's." She decided not to mention how the old cat had been checking her out, even while arranging her marriage to his son. Her husband pulled a face and shook his head, knowing that was why she had been hiding earlier. He gestured to his blue eye with one paw.

"If it weren't for the family eye, no one would believe that I was truly related to my father. I mostly take after my mother; she was owned by British nobility before Father ordered her to return to the kingdom and be his mate, which I suppose explains my accent."

'_Your __**very hot**__ accent.'_ Haru made sure not to let her little thought known. "Was she nice?"

"Very. She was the only cat in the entire kingdom that could talk sense into my father, which is partially why I miss her so much. She was killed three years ago, when an assassin tried to go after Father. The assassin died by Father. He loved Mother deeply. I had three brothers as a kitten, but a kidnapper got them, and… we never heard from them again." He shook his head slightly, to ward off the threatening depression. "Please tell me about your parents."

Haru sighed.

"Mom and Dad met in college. She wanted to make quilts professionally, and he was a sports star, which kind of explains my skill with a lacrosse stick. After they had been married for six months, Dad was shot and killed by a game enthusiast that had rooted for the other team. He's still in prison. As far back as I can remember, it's always been just Mom and me. After Natoru left, promising to collect me that night, I told Mom what was going on. She didn't believe me, despite the fact that we now had full-grown cattails covering our yard when we hadn't the day before. I tried to leave the house so that I would be more difficult to find, and Mom came along to soothe me. Next thing I know, we're standing in front of a psychologists' office. But before Mom could drag me inside to talk to a shrink about my problems, Natoru came out of nowhere with a bunch of gray cats, and carried me away. Mom believes me now, but the fact doesn't help much, now that I won't ever see her again."

Humbert saddened, and touched her paw gently.

"If she completely understands what happened, then don't be too sure that you will never see her again."

She looked up at him, wondering what he meant.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"That's right; I haven't heard from her since she ran away," Naoko said into the phone, her voice indicating that her mind was currently on autopilot. The woman at the police station thanked her, and ended the call.

The middle-aged redhead sighed, looking around her home. It felt so big and empty, now that her daughter was gone. Feeling weary, she lay down on the little couch, and tried to rest a bit.

Suddenly, her living room was lit up with blue light. Remembering that had been the signal that Haru had been taken, she jumped out of her seat and hid on the opposite side of the couch, accomplishing both things in a single move in her desperation. Then the light faded, leaving the room almost completely dark, since night was approaching outside.

"This place looks so different, being this short."

Naoko's head shot up, recognizing her daughter's voice

"Try not to worry about it, Haru. The place appears to be deserted; could your mother be upstairs?"

"I don't know; this is usually the time we have dinner."

Hesitantly, Naoko looked over the couch's edge. What she saw astounded her.

Although the woman had never been much of a cat lover, she had always hated seeing pet owners dress up their animals like humans, since they were already clothed in the way that they needed to be. But for some reason, it didn't seem strange to see these two cats dressed as humans.

The male was had a mix of orange and cream fur, and was dressed like an old-fashioned gentleman, complete with a silk hat and cane. The girl was in a flowing periwinkle summer dress, and had tan fur. But was disturbing about her, was that she had longer head fur similar to a human, and the shade of brown was similar to her daughter's hair.

"Haru?" the woman whispered, making the couple turn to her. The girl cat laughed a little nervously, putting one paw behind her head.

"Hi, Mom. Um… the Cat King married me to his son, like he planned." She gestured to her companion. "This is Humbert. Humbert, that's Mom."

The orange and cream cat bowed elegantly for the human, who was barely able to numbly nod in return as she walked around the couch in order to sit down in shock.

"I didn't think they were going to turn you into a cat too, Sweetheart."

The cat prince grimaced.

"If it's any comfort, Mrs. Yoshioka, _I_ wasn't consulted in the marriage matter either. But I assure you that I will take good care of your daughter, and have every intention of bringing her by to visit often, if that's what you and Haru wish."

The woman blinked, silently thinking that she shouldn't be hearing this speech so soon. But there was obviously little that could be done about it now, and the tawny cat did seem like a nice enough fellow; exactly the kind of man she hoped Haru would end up with one day. The red-haired woman sighed and held her arms out to the two cats. Haru eagerly ran into her mother's embrace, her husband being a little slower, obviously not used to affection from a stranger.

"Just call me Mom, Humbert."


	4. The Tour

Extra

Chapter Four: The Tour

Haru hesitantly looked at the door which led out of her and Humbert's quarters. Nervously, she managed to tie a yellow ribbon (one that matched the simple dress she had ordered and Baron had 'persuaded' the dressmakers into actually making) into her hair in a high ponytail, since that had always given her comfort for some reason. It had taken more effort to pull it back, since she was still a bit clumsy with her paws, but was getting better at it.

Humbert adjusted his silk hat one more time, and offered her his arm. Feeling strange, she took it gingerly, still a little wary of the fact that, yes, her destiny was to be at the tawny cat's side. He smiled softly, understanding the reason for her nerves.

"Haru, you'll have to learn how to hide your feelings from the court. They like nothing better than to mock a weakness."

'_Sounds like high school.' _That thought strangely gave her courage, and made her stand up a little taller, a soft smile on her split lip. Humbert sighed softly, and kissed her paw.

"That's a good start. Shall I show you around?"

She nodded, although her true wish was to hide from everyone underneath the bed. He smiled encouragingly, and turned the knob leading out of their quarters. The tawny prince led his princess out, and then locked the door behind him, although he was aware that it was a fruitless gesture, since anyone with claws could break into the room in a pinch. Taking Haru's arm in his again, he started down the hall.

"How much have you seen?"

"The portal tower, a dressing chamber, the banquet hall, various windows, the prison cells-"

Her husband turned quickly to look at her, completely shocked that she had seen the last one.

"What?!"

Haru laughed a little nervously.

"I kept trying to escape, so the king kind of held me in one of the cells until you came back."

Humbert started growling in frustration.

"Just out of curiosity, did my father forget to do anything else to earn your undying hatred?"

Haru was about to answer, but then stopped for a second, thinking hard.

"Well, he forgot to kill my mom. That would have just been pushing it."

Humbert shook his head angrily, and squeezed her paw a little tighter.

"This is going to take me a few years to make up for. Did you have a human sweetheart as well?"

His bride scoffed, although her eyes were fading out with restrained pain.

"No. I was invisible to boys. There… was one I really liked, but he never noticed me like that."

Her husband tilted his head at her, noting privately that she was very fair of face and form.

"I find that very hard to believe, Haru."

A trace of amusement worked its way onto her lips.

"Your dad was checking me out while I was still a human. Doesn't that say anything?"

"Well, Father's always had a few unsolved issues."

"Exactly my point. What about you? Was there a girl that caught _your _eye, and never told your dad about?"

"Ah, no. Plenty have wished to be my princess, and have fought hard to win the position, but I fear that it was for that reason alone, which is why I was still single. Father was always a little concerned about my lack of motivation in finding a mate, and it's strangely comforting that you wanted this marriage about as much as I did."

Haru laughed lightly, mentally wondering just what their age difference was after translating human and cat years.

"Nothing to keep the spirits up like a co-conspirator. Um, is there a library around here somewhere?"

He grinned widely, pleased that she had asked for _that _room.

"Please follow me." He led her down three hallways, and took the third curtain on the left. Haru's jaw nearly fell to the floor, seeing how big the library was, which was enough to rival the banquet hall. A dusty gray cat looked up from the books he was sorting, and gave a grin.

"Pleasure to see you again so soon, highness. Is this the famous Miss Haru?"

"Mrs.," she corrected softly, gazing at the books with obvious awe. Her husband chuckled warmly.

"Yes, that _would_ be more accurate, now. Haru, I'm afraid I have some bad news about the library."

She blinked twice in order focus on him, worried.

"What could possibly be wrong about this place?"

He smiled a little nervously.

"Every word in this room is written in cat."

The girl's soaring spirit immediately plummeted to the cold earth, nearly making her crumble to the ground in disappointment.

"Oh, ouch. That's just not fair."

If the girl hadn't been so lost in her newest batch of depression, than she would have seen how amused her husband was, that she was feeling the loss so keenly. He struggled not to laugh; certain that she would take it the wrong way.

"I can teach you how to read and write cat, if that's what you wish, but there is still much of the palace and kingdom to show you."

Haru looked up at the books longingly.

"Okay. It was nice meeting you…?"

The old librarian grinned.

"Jani, your highness."

Haru felt strangely sick, hearing that form of salutation addressed to _her_ of all people. But she smiled back at the old librarian, whom the feline princess was certain she would be seeing more of.

"It was nice meeting you, Jani."

Humbert gave a last friendly wave to the librarian, while gripping his wife's arm again, pleased that his bride had good manners, at least. That alone would make things simpler.

He wondered…

The feline prince gave an evil smile, and started guiding Haru up one of the towers.

"Where are we going now?" she asked. He patted her paw comfortingly, hardly able to contain his excitement.

"I want to introduce you to a good friend of mine." At the top of the highest tower, Baron knocked firmly on the door three times before turning the knob.

"They like to know when someone's coming in," he said softly while leading her inside the door.

Although Haru felt a little nervous about who could be in the tower's peak, she instinctively knew that she could trust her husband.

The light was almost overwhelming, compared to what she had previously witnessed inside the castle. Blinking her eyes in order to get more used to the bright light, the Cat Princess realized that the brightness was caused by all the open windows, that lined the tower up to its peak, still several stories above the couple. But what was even more interesting were the occupants of the tower. Her breathing seemed to slow down.

"_Wow,_" she whispered. Crows never looked this impressive to her as a human. But they certainly did while in a cat body. Humbert grinned at her, and focused on one nest near the top. He held his other paw to his mouth, in order to shout a little louder.

"Toto! I'd like you to meet someone!"

A dark crow poked his head over the side of his nest, and pecked his mate one more time before sailing down, landing neatly in front of the royal couple, maybe twice as tall as Haru. From his neck dangled a golden necklace with a crown pendant, possibly to discourage cats from trying to eat him.

"So this is your new wife, Humbert? The others have talked of nothing else since we returned."

The crown prince sighed, realizing that the entire kingdom had probably known about his bride before he had.

"Yes, this is Haru. Haru, this is Toto; my favorite sky companion."

The crow began to bow, but then jerked at the girl's name.

"Haru? _My _Haru?"


	5. The Ride

Extra

Chapter Five: The Ride

The feline princess immediately tensed at the way the crow said _his _Haru. So did her husband.

"What do you mean, Toto?"

The crow shook his head a little disbelievingly, still staring at the girl.

"Yes, the eyes are the same… Haru, don't you remember me? You saved my life once, several years ago."

The brunette blinked, but tried to remember.

"I… I think I _did _save a crow once, when his wing was broken." But that had happened years back, when she was still in elementary school. Toto grinned at her, and extended his left wing up a little more than what was needed for him to fly. Immediately, the girl could see the fine line along his shoulder where the feathers didn't quite match up right, like a ripple on a smooth pond. Her eyes widened as Humbert stared from her to his favorite crow.

"_Haru's _the girl you've been telling everyone about for years?!"

That comment captured the attention of every crow in the tower, and they all looked out of their nests to look at the girl, cawing softly to each other.

"Toto's rescuer?"

"The new princess?"

"My, the prince struck gold."

Haru's face slowly took on the color of a ripe tomato, realizing that the kingdom had known of her for longer than even they had known. Humbert continued to stare at his bride as she hesitantly reached up with one paw to feel the shoulder she had personally nursed back to usability. It was strong, and muscular.

"Dang, I can't even feel anything was wrong. Nice to know you've been doing okay, Toto."

Without warning, another crow flew down, and firmly wrapped her wing around the princess in a feathery hug.

"Thank you!" his mate sobbed, squeezing the girl fit to kill. "I break down crying every time Toto tells me about how you fended off that dog to save my mate."

Humbert shuddered, also remembering the part with the dog. If memory served, the girl had been scared of the dog too, but not enough to back down from her goal.

"Just out of curiosity, Haru; are there any other lives you've saved?"

His bride blinked, thinking hard.

"Um… a pigeon, three puppies, a sack full of kittens, another hungry kitten, two hamsters, a salamander… I'm not sure if I should count that really fat cat I feed every Thursday night." She smiled nervously, like there was more, but she had either forgotten them or didn't want to mention them.

Humbert shook his head in amazement.

"The things you find out when you get married to a stranger." _'Well, there __**are**__ girls with worse hobbies than saving lives.'_

Realizing the interesting shade of blue the princess was turning, Toto's mate suddenly let go; her nervous laughter akin to twinkling bells as the princess took deep and grateful breaths.

"Care for a ride, princess?" she asked already moving around so that Haru could climb on her back. The girl's heart began to beat faster.

"Ride?" she asked timidly, looking at her husband for confirmation. He nodded, grinning at her.

"I think I better ride on the same crow as you, the first time at least. I promise you'll love it."

Before Haru could think to protest, Humbert had picked her up by the waist, a task that in itself unnerved her, and placed her between the crow's shoulder blades. Then he climbed on after her, and settled just behind her. With one arm, he wrapped her up tightly, and the other one to grab a good fistful of feathers.

"Ready when you are, Tara."

"Hey!" Toto protested as his mate opened her impressive wingspan in preparation. Haru immediately wrapped her arms around Humbert's neck, completely terrified.

"_I _wanted to give them a ride!" Toto shouted as his mate shot out of one of the huge windows, and out of the enormous castle. Haru clung to her husband's neck, her eyes firmly shut, and breathing heavily with fear as the wind rushed over her like a river.

Humbert laughed softly, making his chest reverberate pleasantly, or at least his wife thought so, since she was pressed against it.

"Open your eyes, Haru. There's nothing to fear."

Gulping nervously, the brunette slowly did as requested. Her mouth opened slightly in astonishment.

Tara was now flying over an extensive grassland; about the same color as Humbert's green eye. The feline princess could see little grass huts, and a beautiful emerald forest to her right.

But what truly captured her attention was the enormous lake, which she had nearly dubbed to be a perfect and sparkling sea. Shivers ran up and down her spine as Tara began to fly higher and higher, closer to a cloud. The tip of her left wing sank into the moving fog, making it splash about like a lake. When Tara rose above the cloud, Haru could have sworn that there was another sea, made of clouds.

She felt Humbert's chin brush against her shoulder as he leaned towards her ear.

"Well? What do you think?" he asked softly. Haru took a second to regain her breath, and to think of an appropriate answer.

"I think… I could learn to like this."

Even _she_ didn't know whether or not she was speaking of the flight, or of the way her husband was holding her.

The prince smiled warmly, pleased that she was so honest. Her longer head hair had worked free of the ribbon she had tied it back with earlier, and it was now whipping behind her head with the wind, which was why he had placed his face closer to hers.

He had to admit that he admired how her head fur looked when it was down, but wondered how his wife would react if he told her.

They were still practically strangers.

He hugged her once more, liking how neatly she seemed to fit into his arms. Perhaps there _was _a way to make this marriage work.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The Cat King leisurely stretched out on his lawn chair, taking a fish drink while watching his son and daughter-in-law fly farther and farther out of sight. He purred deeply, certain that Humbert had done what was asked of him, for once. The royal heart began to thump faster, thinking about what it would be like to be a grandfather. The king purred once more while turning to his favorite advisor.

"See, babe? Even Humbert couldn't resist Haru for long."

Natori sighed thankfully, certain that he was now safely out of the prince's reign of wrath. Although he had none of his father's eccentricities, the crown prince could be _very _intimidating, when he put his mind to it.

'_Wait a moment. The prince has __**never **__given in this quickly.'_


	6. The Father in Law

Extra

Chapter Six: The Father-in-Law

The king dismissed the latest diplomat; as he was in too terrible of a mood to focus today. He glared out the large window, wondering how the weather outside dared to be so cheerfully wonderful when he felt like _this._

Five months. It had been five months since he had forced his son to settle down with the babe. He should be swimming in grandkittens by now, but apparently something was wrong with either his son or daughter-in-law, who was still refusing to call him 'father'. He stormed down the hallways to his study, hoping that someone was doing something right. The large longhair threw aside the curtain leading into his personal study, to see the royal physician waiting for him. The king grunted as he sat down in his easy chair.

"Well? Did you find the problem?"

The white shorthair coughed nervously.

"Yes. I only had to examine the princess to find it, and have her answer a few questions."

"Is she barren?" It'd be a terrible shame to kill a babe like her, but if that's what it took…

"Oh no, that's not it. She is completely capable of presenting her husband with kittens." The doctor took an extra breath for courage. "She is just refusing to do so, and Prince Humbert is also refusing to cooperate. They never consummated their marriage."

The king howled with displeasure. If he had been aware that the two were going on strike earlier, he would have done something sooner. The doctor cowered, but the Cat King gave him permission to leave. The greasy longhair knew it wasn't the old physician who had truly angered him.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The royal couple could very clearly hear the king howl with displeasure, as they walked together through the royal gardens. Haru sighed; still fearing her father in law a little bit.

"Sounds like the physician delivered the news."

Her husband nodded, and wrapped one arm around her slender shoulders to provide comfort for her.

"Don't worry, Haru. I'll speak to him." He held her a little closer, thinking about the past months.

His wife may not have had the royal training most of the girls around here had, but her wonderful heart had more than made up for it. Feeling insecure with leaving her home while he was gone on missions, she had become his companion on the road as much as in the palace.

She was a surprisingly easy girl to get along with. She never batted an eye about sleeping on the ground when needed, and could instinctively guess exactly what needed to be said to cool a hot head or ease a broken heart. The people loved her dearly, although they were obviously worried by the empty nursery that the king had added onto their personal chambers after they had been married for a month. Until this week, no one had the slightest idea that they alternated sleeping on the bed and on the couch. Both had tried to claim the couch for their own, Humbert being a gentleman and Haru being nervous about sleeping in his bed, whether he was in it or not.

He had to admit; he had fallen for his wife pretty hard. An arranged marriage was something that he had never considered, when he was growing up. But by respecting Haru's feelings in a way his father could never understand, he gained something more valuable than an early batch of kittens. Humbert had earned her respect, and she had earned his.

The brown cat had also come to love her husband dearly. Although Natoru brought imbecility to an art form, he had been right about one thing; the cat prince was _extremely _cool. Why else would he put up with all her ineptitudes? Sure, in his arms she became a graceful dancer, and his gentle tutelage had opened up the library to her, since everything had been written in cat, but-

"HUMBERT! HARU!"

The royal couple looked up, to see the Cat King climbing down the side of the palace, in his eagerness to speak with them. Haru gripped her husband's arm a little harder for comfort, and he rubbed his paw over hers as the king approached them; flames present in his gaze.

"What is wrong with you two?" he hissed. "The kingdom needs an heir, and I'm not getting any younger. Why are you playing this game?!"

His son smiled grimly and pulled his wife closer.

"I thought our reason was obvious, Father. We were complete strangers when you shoved the marriage contract down our throats. Since you didn't allow me to court her before the marriage, I'm doing it now. That's all."

The king hissed again angrily.

"Let's settle this the old-fashioned way, son; duel me. If I win, you beget a litter on Haru within the hour."

Humbert sighed, knowing he couldn't refuse a challenge from his father. He could feel Haru's paw on his arm, trembling slightly. His temper began to boil, thinking about all that his wife had already been put through thanks to the Cat King. The last thing his father had any right to do was tell them when to start a family. Oh well, as long as they were going to be dueling anyway…

"And if I win, you will abdicate the throne to me. I was planning on waiting a few more years before challenging you for it, but, then… I wasn't planning on getting married so soon either."

The king's mouth flapped uselessly for a while, but then he slowly nodded; knowing that as he'd issued the challenge, he had to accept his opponent's terms. And with how much rage he was feeling, this would be an easy win.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Exactly fifteen minutes later, the Cat King was standing on his son's side of the dueling arena, covering himself the best he could with his front paws. His long gray fur had fallen into a heap at his feet, causing the only person brave enough (Haru) to laugh at the king hard enough to nearly fall off her feet. A good twenty paces away, the crown prince shook his sword once, in order to rid it of the stray hairs that were still clinging to it. Unlike his sire, the crown prince looked like he hadn't even been in a duel.

"It looks like I win, Father. Nice try, though." He handed the sword to the young page as another came to the king with a large bathrobe in his paws. But as the king tied the clothing tightly around him, his son approached him, and gravely kneeled in front of his sire. The old king started hyperventilating; never thinking about the possibility that he would lose. But, the entire castle had heard what the duel was over; he certainly couldn't back out now.

With a shaking paw, he took off his crown, and placed it on his son's brow. An eruption of cheers ensued; everyone clearly relieved to have a new ruler. The ex-king struggled to contain his anger.

'_This is just too embarrassing. First, I lose the duel and most of my fur. Now I'm going to have to withdraw from everyone until my fur's grown back. And, to top it off, everyone __**wanted **__my son to win the match. Doesn't anyone care about me?!'_

His son smiled softly.

"Don't get me wrong, Father; I do love you. But you need to learn that you can't always force people to do something they'd rather not. Haru and I _will_ eventually have kittens, and you're going to have to wait patiently until that time comes." Humbert nodded curtly at his sire, and turned around in time to catch his wife as she threw his arms around his neck and hugged him happily. The new king smiled in contentment, and wrapped his arms around her waist tight.

Unexpectedly, she kissed his cheek. King Humbert blushed lightly, since she had never done that before. But since she started it, he kissed her brow tenderly.

"I told you I could handle Father."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I know there are going to be a few people angry with me for ending the story like this, but my muse abandoned me after this chapter, and I know better than to work without it. Besides, the king got trashed.

Lots of love to; sesshoumarufan18, Lunarobi Pride, EarthGurdian, Seto-Sesshoumaru-Lover18, ElaiaFlameWolf, Lanari, AngelDevilKit, Thundercat, kittydemon18, DriftingOne, and QuickStar for the reviews. Keep telling me what you think, man! That's one of the reasons I keep writing.

I sincerely hope everyone enjoyed this fic, because another one's coming in next week.

Until then,

YarningChick


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